Beatles Go Hollywood

05/25/1999 at 12:00 AM EDT

At long last, the Beatles were paid their due on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, where their star reappeared on Christmas morning. "It was done in the spirit of giving," Johnny Grant, Hollywood's honorary mayor, said. "Santa and I thought it was time to respond to the Beatles fans' request for a chance to honor the Fab Four." Grant said the Beatles got a star in 1994, but it was removed after only a few weeks as a result of pressure from Capitol Records, who said a ceremony should be held with a band member present. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr declined to appear for such an event, so Grant finally decided to go ahead anyway. "The star has been in my office for a long time," he said. The star appeared without fanfare next to Elvis Presley's, at the gateway to the famed boulevard.